Antimicrobial effect of pulsed-light technology for non-thermal decontamination of meat products.

Pulsed Light (PL) treatment is an emerging technology for the rapid and efficient surface decontamination of food and food contact materials in the production environment. In food processing the technique of PL has not yet been applied at industrial scale (precompetitive stage). The PL technology basically comprises the emittance of short-duration, high-power pulses of electromagnetic radiation (light) from an inert-gas flash lamp, which causes microbial cell deterioration. The process overwhelming the microbial cell is seen as an interaction of at least two mechanisms: (i) the photochemical (cell death due to DNA lesions), and (ii) the photothermal (cell death due to disruption and structural changes). The aim of this project is to evaluate the applicability and effect of PL on selected foodborne bacterial pathogenic strains and further to test their survival capability after inoculating them in food matrices (processed meat). Physico-chemical changes of relevant food properties are tested in parallel. Additionally, bacterial strains are submitted subjected to sub-lethal stress conditions (typical for food processing) in order to estimate their adaptive and resistance potential after being treated under evaluated processing conditions of the PL device.